I feel like I'm missing something on the Springs trails. Palmer Park is great fun, techy goodness. I've ridden Jones Downhill, Captain Jacks and The Chutes - awesome shuttle. I've finding that a lot of trails down here are Sandy compared to Jeffco. Guess I just need more time to explore.

i would trade sand for crowds and access issues any day. the springs is a solid 8-9 as a great place to ride. explore you should, maybe look a little north lots of hidden gems before the palmer/monument divide, you just have to look for them. the proof is in the monument guys giving it a 5ish ish. they are spoiled up there.

As a destination i would say 1, same goes for Denver. They both have great riding but if i were to be planning a vacation and my number one priority was mountain biking the springs would never be a consideration.

Originally Posted by onegeargood

On a scale from 1 to 10 how would you rate Colorado Springs as a mountain bike destination?

i would trade sand for crowds and access issues any day. the springs is a solid 8-9 as a great place to ride. explore you should, maybe look a little north lots of hidden gems before the palmer/monument divide, you just have to look for them. the proof is in the monument guys giving it a 5ish ish. they are spoiled up there.

I have no idea what you're talking about... ;-)

Seriously though, I moved to the Springs in '94 from back East. I never ever regret it.

I feel like I'm missing something on the Springs trails. Palmer Park is great fun, techy goodness. I've ridden Jones Downhill, Captain Jacks and The Chutes - awesome shuttle. I've finding that a lot of trails down here are Sandy compared to Jeffco. Guess I just need more time to explore.

As for the other comments, we do have scree (decomposed granite) down here, not what I would consider just sand. Mt. Herman could be considered a little sandy maybe? And it's not everywhere, just in certain areas.

Our geography is not like Jeffco/Boulder with large granite outcrops and a clayey soil. Everything is more decomposed and loose. That means it dries faster when it rains. = more riding.

Monument/Mt. Herman is A+ riding. The downside is a shorter season as the snow sticks around a lot longer.

Winters aren't as bad as Denver's can be, even though we are a bit higher up. Summer heat can be brutal, but it's that way everywhere, isn't it?

Downside is day trips to resorts/mountains are tougher logistically. Upside is Pueblo, Crusty Butt and Durango are closer than they are to Denver.

Also, trail cops are nonexistent, the City is too broke to worry about employing rangers. I guess we police ourselves, but it would be nice to see someone do something about the dogs on the trail. They can be a pain in close to town.

UT

Oh yeah. Expect a pay cut. Except for NORAD and NORCOM, this is a blue collar community.

As a destination i would say 1, same goes for Denver. They both have great riding but if i were to be planning a vacation and my number one priority was mountain biking the springs would never be a consideration.

Have to agree on that. Yeah, the trails are fun, and its nice to have so much variety close by, but if I was doing major miles to go riding I can think of a lot of places I would visit before going to the Springs. If you are here for other reasons then bring your bike; if you are thinking of making a trip to Colorado to sample the best the state has to offer then you may want to think of another place besides Colorado Springs.

I think the meaning of "destination" was cleared up . . .

. . . when the original poster said "worth moving to."

On that front, the Springs is easily a 9 (there's probably no such thing as a 10 in this category). The Springs is one of very few sizeable cities where one can actually find a job and still have great trails right out the door.

Sure, if you're planning a biking vacation, the Springs isn't even in the top ten. But try to find work that will support your lifestyle in Moab, Sedona or Downieville! If you want to live where you can ride a great variety of trails and have all the amenities of civilization, you can't beat this.

I live in the SW portion of town and can ride Section 16, Buckhorn, Jack's, Columbine, Intemann, Red Rock Canyon, Pipeline, Jones' Park, Chutes, Stratton and many more less well-know trails all without ever getting in my car. What's more, I can easily hit Palmer Park, Ute Valley Park, or Cheyenne Mountain on my way home from work (these are all great after work rides).

Monument and Rampart Reservoir are just up the road and super epics like the Monarch Crest and Buffalo Creek are an easy day trip. So is Summit County and all it's world class riding--ditto Winter Park.

When the local trails get snowed in, it's a short drive to Colorado's "banana belt" to hit the year round access to great trails near Pueblo to keep the skills sharp in winter.

There's also a very stron fitness community in general and a very strong biking community in particular. The Springs is consistently rated as the fittes or one of the fittest cities in the nation--and for good reason; the geography inspires you to get out and be active.

If you need the real big city stuff, Denver's only an hour away.

Not sure how any of this doesn't merit a high mark given the expressed criteria. Far be it from me to encourage new arrivals as I liked the place better a few hundred thousand residents ago, but the fact is this place rocks for mountain biking. That was a major factor in my deciding to settle here.

Everyone will usually rate their area better than others, but nothing can be debated when it comes to local knowledge. You can find great riding in either place, but the answers are in what you're into. If you'll make a million a year in COS AND you can ride, it may be answer. The key to the whole answer is put yourself in a good location regardless of where you end up. Stay closer to the mountains and you'll obviously have close and quick access. I didn't care where I ended up, as long as I could turn a corner and be on a trail was critical.

As for Jobs, there are just more in the Denver area (based on population alone). But again, it depends on what you do. Engineering? Both are good. Preacher? COS may be a better spot. Military carreers are better in COS. Denver has a ton of business tech. I don't think you can really go wrong with either place.

I prefer Denver based on my job. I'm only 35 minutes from the airport and 2 minutes from singletrack. The traffic where I'm at isn't bad, and the small town I'm in (Golden) has a real sense of community. we have 4 bike shops in a town of 16k. Surrounded by lots of trails within 10 minutes, and TONS of mt bikers throughout the town.

Traffic: CO Springs (hint, there are only like 2 north/south routes that go all the way through) is horrible

Density: COS is really only from Monument to Cheyenne Mtn, and there is a sick amount of trails tucked into that area

Traffic: I just spent the last couple of weeks in LA, and yea COS traffic can back up, but it's only a couple of miles, Denco and LA have jams that last for miles and miles and miles, spend a afternoon (or any time of the day) sitting in a jam in either of those and COS seems tame

Compared to other areas, trail access in COS is great, I give it a 7-8. You can ride just about anywhere with ease by linking dirt trails, bike paths, etc to your final true MTB trail. You can epic from you doorstep. Plus, Crested Butte is only 3.5 hours west and Moab isnt much further and you can ride nearly year-round when you factor in Pueblo.

I've lived both places and I do have to say I've mountain biked more in COS than in Denver. That might be due to the fact I worked three jobs while I lived in Denver? There is riding to be had in either place. Both have some awesome options.

However, Denver has worse traffic. My 13 mile drive to work took about an hour. 225 south to 25 south to the tech center, every day during rush hour in the morning and evening. I can get from North COS to Fountain during rush hour faster than I could get home in Denver.